Samurai - Knight Variant (3.5e Class)

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Samurai are warriors who focus primarily on their sword skills by balancing their Ki, to create a fluid style that fells enemies like blades of grass. They also adhere to a strict code of conduct which allows them to fight with honor.

A samurai is nearly always employed by some kind of nobility, such as a lord. Very skilled and powerful samurai may even serve the emperor himself. Should a samurai dishonor himself, his noble will typically decide their punishment.

The Samurai are strongly combat oriented, and they have extraordinary hit points. Thus they are built to fight in the front lines. They must, however, adhere to their code, and must fight with certain restraints.

Abilities: Strength is a must for this class, for the samurai to excel in combat. Charisma is also important, as it dictates the use of the honorable challenge. Dexterity is also important for many samurai abilities, especially if using the Weapon Finesse feat.

Races: Generally, only humans will enter this class. Elf and Half-Elf samurai exist, but are considerably uncommon. Dwarves have difficulty becoming samurai, because it requires them to place their noble before their clan and king. The bloodlust of a half-orc precludes them from adhering to the honor demands of this class. Halflings and Gnomes lack the physical might and mental discipline required to be a samurai. Also, the traditions normally forbid females from becoming samurai.

Alignment: Any Lawful, usually the same alignment as the noble they serve.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Samurai have proficiency with all simple weapons, as well as their traditional weaponry, the Katana, the Longbow, the Longspear, the Quarterstaff, and the Kanabo. The Samurai are masters of the katana, a weapon that Samurai lore dictates is part of the user's very soul. Samurai are proficient with all Light and Medium armors, but Hide Armor or Scale Mail are the traditional choices.

Weapon Focus, Katana: Samurai are trained from childhood in the use of these masterfully-crafted weapons, and as such all members have the Weapon Focus (Katana) to reflect their lifelong training.

True Strike: By focusing their Ki for a moment, a samurai can 'feel' their opponent's next move. This insight is reflected as the ability to cast True Strike a certain number of times per day.

Bonus Feat: Samurai are master combatants, and always seek to further their combat abilities, the Samurai gains a bonus feat to reflect his improved combat skill. The bonus feats selectable by a Samurai are the same as that of a Fighter.

Religion: Samurai don't typically feel the need to honor a deity, but when they do, it will typically be Heironious or Hextor, depending on their allignment.

Other Classes: Samurai feel a kinship with honorable Paladins, but feel that they tend to take failure too graciously. They view Fighters and Barbarians as dishonorable simpletons, and Rouges as deceptive tricksters.

Combat: The Samurai can act as the centerpiece of combat, using their inborn skill to stave off attackers.

Advancement: When samurai grow powerful, they can often usurp the noble they serve and become a noble themselves, and in turn employ samurai of their own. Because of this, there can often be a mistrust between a noble and his samurai.

Characters with ranks in <-the appropriate skills-> can research <-pluralized class name-> to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.